How to Turn Off Battery Optimization on Android (Every Phone Brand)

To turn off battery optimization for one app, open Settings > Apps and pick the app. Tap Battery (or App battery usage) and choose Unrestricted, or Don't optimize on older Android. Many phone brands add their own battery saver on top of Android, so also follow the steps for your phone below.

This guide covers every common Android brand. The menu names can be slightly different on your phone, because they change between models and software versions. If a name does not match, type "battery" or the app's name into the search bar at the top of Settings.

What is battery optimization on Android?

Battery optimization is how Android saves power. When the screen is off, or when you have not opened an app for a while, Android pauses that app in the background. It can delay the app's work, hold back its notifications, or stop it until you open it again.

For most apps this is fine. You do not need a game or a shopping app running all night. But some apps only work if they keep running:

• messaging apps and apps that must receive alerts on time
• alarm, reminder and health tracking apps
• apps that sync files or location in the background
• an SMS gateway app that sends text messages for your business

When Android pauses one of these, it looks like the app "stopped working": messages arrive late, alarms are missed, or texts are not sent until you open the app.

Is it good to turn off battery optimization?

Only for the apps that must keep running. Turning it off for one app lets that app work in the background. It does not change any other app.

Leave battery optimization on for everything else. If you turn it off for many apps, your battery will drain faster and the phone can feel slower.

How to turn off battery optimization on any Android phone

These are the steps on stock Android, the version on Google Pixel and many other phones. Most brands follow the same idea, with their own extra switches listed in the next section.

On Android 12 and newer:

1. Open Settings > Apps, then tap the app. You may need to tap See all apps first.
2. Tap App battery usage (or Battery).
3. On Android 14 and newer, turn on Allow background usage first.
4. Choose Unrestricted.

On Android 6 to 11:

1. Open Settings > Apps and notifications > Advanced > Special app access > Battery optimization.
2. Change the list at the top from Not optimized to All apps.
3. Tap the app, choose Don't optimize, then tap Done.

On Android 6 and 7 the list is in a different place: open Settings > Battery, tap the menu button at the top, then Battery optimization.

Steps for each phone brand

Find your phone below. Do the steps in your section as well as the steps above, because these brands add a second battery saver that Android's own setting does not cover.

Samsung

1. Open Settings > Apps, tap the app, then Battery, and choose Unrestricted.
2. Open Settings > Battery (on some models Battery and device care > Battery) > Background usage limits.
3. Tap Never sleeping apps, tap the plus button, select the app and tap Add.

Samsung has a few more switches that matter. They are all in our Samsung battery optimization guide.

Xiaomi, Redmi, Poco

These steps are for MIUI and HyperOS.

1. Open Settings > Apps > Manage apps, then tap the app.
2. Tap Battery saver (or Battery) and choose No restrictions.
3. On the same app page, turn on Autostart. On some versions it is under App permissions > Background autostart.
4. Open your recent apps, press and hold the app's card, and tap the lock icon. This stops the phone from closing the app when you clear recent apps.

Oppo, Realme, OnePlus

These steps are for ColorOS, Realme UI and OxygenOS.

1. Open Settings > Apps > App management, then tap the app.
2. Tap Battery usage and turn on Allow background activity.
3. If you see Allow auto launch, turn it on too.
4. Open your recent apps and lock the app's card, so clearing recent apps does not close it.

Vivo

These steps are for Funtouch OS and OriginOS.

1. Open Settings > Battery > Background power consumption management (on some phones High background power consumption), and allow the app.
2. Open Settings, tap Apps (on some phones More settings > Applications), then Autostart, and turn the app on. On older phones this is in i Manager > App manager > Autostart manager.
3. Open Settings > Apps, tap the app, then Battery, and choose unrestricted use if your phone offers it.

Infinix, Tecno, itel

Infinix uses XOS, Tecno uses HiOS, and itel uses itel OS. They are close, but the menu names vary more than on other brands.

1. Open Settings > Apps (or App management), tap the app, then Battery, and allow it to run in the background with no restriction.
2. Turn on auto-start for the app. On Infinix this is usually Settings > App management > Auto-start management (sometimes under More settings), or in the XManager app. On Tecno it is usually Phone Master > Toolbox > Auto-start management.
3. Open your recent apps and lock the app's card.

Huawei, Honor

These steps are for EMUI, HarmonyOS and MagicOS.

1. Open Settings > Battery > App launch. On some Honor phones, App launch is under Settings > Apps.
2. Find the app and turn off Manage automatically.
3. In the box that opens, turn on Auto-launch, Secondary launch and Run in background, then tap OK.
4. Open your recent apps and lock the app's card.

Pixel and other Android

Google Pixel, Motorola, Nokia, Sony and most other phones run close to stock Android. The steps in How to turn off battery optimization on any Android phone are all you need.

If the app still stops, check that Battery Saver is off, or that it does not turn on by itself on a schedule. Our guide on how to turn off battery saver shows how.

Still stopping? Two more checks

If the app still stops after the steps above:

• Lock the app in recent apps. On many phones, clearing your recent apps closes every app that is not locked, including ones you allowed to run.
• Turn off battery saver, or its schedule. Battery saver pauses background apps for every app on the phone. See how to turn off battery saver on Android.

Our guide to keeping an app running in the background explains the four reasons Android stops an app, and how to fix each one.

Using your phone to send SMS for your business?

If you use an Android phone as an SMS gateway and Android pauses the app, your messages stop going out until it runs again. The WaSMS SMS app shows the exact steps for your phone's brand and Android version, opens the right settings page where it can, and starts again by itself after the phone restarts. Set up your SMS phone to get the app.

What to read next

• Keep an app running in the background on Android
• Samsung battery optimization
• Gateway offline: fast fixes
• Android SMS gateway setup